Michael S.
Yelp
OVERALL: 8.875/10 (Yelp Converted Score: 5/5).
This Virtual Yelp Elite Event took place on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. This event was hosted on Zoom and in conjunction with River Valley Cheese, down in Renton, WA. The event was moderated by Jennifer Jones, who at the time was the Yelp CM Ambassador for Bellingham and the Eastside.
Myva was our representative from the Browne Family Vineyards side, introducing the limited release Cabernet and Chardonnay in their cans. Note: Two cans == 1 bottle!
Myva introduced us to the winery's history - namely that the founder (Andrew Browne, in case you were wondering) moved to Bordeaux pre-WW2) was recruited into the OSS (which later became the CIA) and eventually a Nazi hunter.
The following is a translated note that I tried to transcribe, but turned out to look more like drunken ramblings. I did my best -- I have no regrets.
Fun fact: Moose cheese is the most expensive!
I learned a new acronym: "ABC" in the wine world means "Anything BUT Chardonnay".
Chardonnay has a lot of room for the winemaker to show their own personality (whereas Riesling and Sauv. Blanc have their own attitudes).
The wine spends 12 months in oak (tertiary aromas), with hints of fruits (green apple).
We were taught to "trust our instincts, smells, and see what the wine reminds me of". Apple, peach, tropical, citrus -- lots of things in one!
Grapes in a cab. sauv almost look like blueberries/blackberries. Taste like leather/pepper (acidic/dry?).
I lastly learned that you can use plastic wrap to prevent oxygen from getting into wine cans, to keep them fresh!
1) ORIGINALITY: 9/10. I was super impressed with this event; while it was hosted on Zoom, we had to pick up the (free) event kit from River Valley Cheese down in Renton, WA, which included two cans of Browne wine, a cheese platter, and a small box of crackers (should be pictures attached to this review).
2) NETWORKING: 8/10. As I mentioned in my other review, the major complaint was that this event was more a "webinar" and less of a networking event. I don't remember anyone else from the event besides Kristi (from the River Valley Cheese side) and Myva (from the Browne Family Vineyards side) -- sorry in advance if you read this review and remember me from it!
3) GENERAL EXPERIENCE: 9/10. Overall I can't really say this was a "bad" time; I had fun, I took notes, and I had wine and cheese in good company. There was a point in time where Myva disconnected from the Zoom call due to a faulty internet connection, but we all still had fun in the meeting room until she was able to get back to a stable connection.
4) FUN FACTOR: 9.5/10. Fun fact: Browne also owns the "House Wine" brand you might see in the cans in grocery stores. They don't make this a very widespread fact so you should definitely at least try it, if you haven't already!